medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Yesterday (1. December) was also the feast day of:
Evasius (?). The patron saint of Casale Monferrato (AL), the former
capital of Monferrat whose medieval name was Casale Sant'Evasio, E. has
a ninth-century Passio (BHL 2792) that makes him a Catholic bishop of
Casale murdered by an Arian duke in the time of king Liutprand
(712-744). This document being generally considered fantasy, the
scholarly consensus is that we know nothing about the historical E.
other than that the skeletal remains said to be his have recently
undergone scientific evaluation and been pronounced to be those of a man
of around sixty years of age. E. was once thought to have been the
first bishop of Asti (AT) and in consequence is often still referred to
in catalogues of saints, etc. as E. of Asti. One will also find
references to a St. Evasius, bishop of Brescia, entered in the RM by
Baronio for 2. December but now thought by many to be a doublet of our E.
Casale has had a church dedicated to E. since at least 974. Its present
one, consecrated by Paschal II in 1107, rebuilt after a disastrous fire
in the second decade of the thirteenth century, and further rebuilt in
the nineteenth century (when the present facade was created), has only
been a cathedral since 1474, when the town was elevated to diocesan
status. But in at least its thirteenth-century form this building was
already large enough to encompass five aisles and to sport what would
appear to be the most spacious narthex in all Italy (with vaulting whose
sources of inspiration remain a matter of debate). A brief,
Italian-language account of the building's history is here:
http://www.bur.it/2001/nc000438.htm
Facade views (with early thirteenth-century belltower):
http://www.italiamedievale.org/sito_acim/immagini/casale.jpg
http://www.maribe.com/casalfoto/duomo.jpg
Narthex views:
http://www.thais.it/architettura/romanica/schede/sc_00236.htm
http://www.ilmonferrato.info/cs/casale/duomo.jpg
http://www.thais.it/architettura/romanica/schede/sc_00237.htm
The interior boasts what is said to be a very fine marble pavement from
the twelfh-century church as well as the twelfth-century crucifix shown
here (housed until 1403 in the cathedral of Alessandria):
http://www.maribe.com/casalfoto/duomoint.jpg
http://www.italiamedievale.org/sito_acim/immagini/casalecroce.jpg
Further reading:
Guy Philippart, "Evasius de Casale, 'évêque d'Asti'", _Analecta
Bollandiana_ 86 (1968), 25-36.
_ Il duomo di Casale Monferrato. Storia, arte e vita liturgica. Atti
del Convegno di studi, Casale Monferrato (AL), 16 - 18 aprile 1999._
(Novara: Interlinea, 2000).
Best,
John Dillon
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